Home Improvement & Maintenance Tips on How to Deep-Clean Your Carpet

If you would like to clean your own carpet, instead of paying a professional, there are many tips that you can use that have originated from professional carpet cleaners. Although most of the machines that you can rent will get the vast majority of dirt out of your carpet, there are always going to be problematic areas that will be more difficult. Professional carpet cleaners understand the tricks of the trade, and have often shared these strategies with people. Here are a few of the best professional carpet cleaning tips that you can use on your own carpet today.

Blot Don’t Rub

One thing that you will notice with very tough stains that are on your carpet is that they are very difficult to get out without spreading what has spilled. The material has already soaked into specific fibers on your carpet, and you do not want it to spread outward. If you rub paper towels, a sponge, or even a clean cloth with a cleaning solution, you will inevitably make the stain larger. However, if you blot the stain, starting from the outside and moving in, you can remove the stain just as effectively without causing it to expand.

Club Soda Anyone?

A common drink that can be purchased at any supermarket is club soda, known for its ability to thin is. This is a product that is used by professionals when they are dealing with wine that has spilled, especially red wine, and will work with beer stains as well. It is important to mix the club soda with one part vinegar, preferably apple cider vinegar, and one part water. The key is to pour this mixture into the stained area and leave it for 15 minutes, and then blot the area with a sponge. For heavier stains, it may take several treatments to completely eliminate the material from the carpet fibers. The fizzy club soda is the key to agitating the particulate material, or in this case the dark alcoholic beverage, from the carpet fibers into your sponge.

How To Remove Gum

This can be a very difficult process, especially if the gum has been sitting for quite some time. While it is moist, it will bond very strongly to the carpet fibers, and trying to rip it off may actually damage your carpet. A trick that all professional carpet cleaners know is by using ice, you can freeze the gum. This method will work, removing most of the gum from the carpet fibers, with only a minimal amount that will need to be trimmed from the top if it is deeply entwined with the fibers of the carpet.

In contrast to how you will remove gum from carpet fibers, you will not use ice but instead use heat. You will lay a towel over the top of the wax that has fallen onto the carpet, and get out your clothes iron. The secret is to use a paper towel that will be in contact with what will soon be melted wax, with a regular towel over the top which will be in contact with the iron. This should only be applied for a maximum of 30 seconds, or else you could actually burn your carpet, providing enough heat for the wax to melt and bond to the paper towel. It is also recommended that you use only a white paper towel and a white cloth as this will eliminate the possibility of transferring any dye onto the carpet itself.

How To Remove Blood

As most people know, it is virtually impossible to remove blood stains from clothing. It is one of the most difficult substances to remove if it has caused a stain. The same is true for carpets, but there is a secret that many professional carpet cleaners often utilize and that is using hydrogen peroxide. In the same way that the fizzy bubbles of club soda can help remove alcoholic beverage stains, hydrogen peroxide works very well on blood. It is important to first scrape off as much of the dried blood as possible before pouring hydrogen peroxide, and it is also recommended that you use a mild detergent with water to loosened up any of the blood contained within the fibers. The foaming action of the hydrogen peroxide, something that will naturally occur when it comes into contact with blood, will begin to agitate the particulate material right away. It is recommended that you use paper towels to dab or blot at the stain, effectively removing the bloodstain from your carpet.

These are just a few of the trade secrets that professional carpet cleaners like Carpet Cleaning Jacksonville Fl, a carpet cleaning company based out of Jacksonville Florida, will use when traditional detergents and chemicals cannot get out the toughest stains. Whether you are dealing with wax, wine, gum or blood, these strategies should help you restore your carpet to its original state prior to these accidental stains occurring.

How To Find The Best Carpet Cleaning Products For Dog Urine And Other Pet Stains

Pets are a blessing. They can make us better persons, they can enlighten even the darkest days and they can be much closer friends than humans. Nonetheless, things can occasionally get messy in a house full of pets. Even if you only have one dog, you can still experience those pesky urine stains that are so difficult to clean. Moreover, if the dog sniffs the odor, guess what’s going to happen? Yes, you are only going to get more urine stains on the same spot. This is innate to all dogs, so there’s nothing you can do about it.

As a matter of fact, there is a way to save your carpets. You can clean them with special products that have the power to remove all stains and even the slightest odors from the fibers. This is the only way to change your dog’s behavior. It’s not easy, but it’s worth the pain, unless you buy a new carpet each week.

There are many carpet detergents claiming to remove pet stains. Unfortunately, some of them are ineffective, while others remove the stains but destroy the carpet in the process. None of these options is a good one. You need a product that’s gentle to the carpet fibers, but merciless with the stains. Most regular carpet detergents remove food stains quite well, but fail to work when it comes to dog urine. They aren’t formulated to remove it, so you shouldn’t even try them, as you are going to waste money and efforts for nothing.

The best way to find this miracle solution is by asking your friends or colleagues who have pets what they use in such situations. They might know some useful brands, so you could be able to find your dream detergent in as little as two minutes. If your friends reply that they don’t have carpets, you can go ahead and do some research on your own. You can watch TV advertising to see whether you can discover something. However, if you aren’t a big fan of TV watching, you may find this an impossible mission.

You can also do your research online. Once you get a list of products that are available in your area, you should search for reviews published by other users. You have to see what other people believe about each of the products on your list, in order to determine their effectiveness without having to actually buy them. The internet is full of reviews for pretty much each product that comes to mind, so you shouldn’t worry you won’t find what you need. If your products are available on Amazon, you are probably going to find hundreds, if not thousands reviews for each substance and brand. Discussion forums on pet related topics may also be useful. These communities are very useful, as their members are open and willing to help with advice, if they can. They use to open threads about their problems, so you can use the already existing information to search for your answer. If you can’t find anything, you can become a member and ask the question yourself. One of the moderators or the other members are surely going to give you their two cents, and perhaps a very useful advice.

Once you find the product and you sort out your smelly problem, you should try to discover the problem that made your dog choose your carpet to urinate on in the first place. You may ask a vet for advice, as some medical conditions can trigger this behavior in dogs. If the dog is healthy, you should try to understand its motivations for eliminating in the wrong place. Some pets use this method as a revenge for some actions of their owners. If this is your case, no detergent in the world is ever going to help you. You may need to give up your carpets and replace them with ceramic tiles. In addition, you may need to use plastic covers to protect your beds and coaches, as your little furry friend is probably going to discover the pleasure of urinating on them. Dogs are our best friends, but they can also be our biggest problem.

Has your carpet seen better days? Are you looking for the carpeting that you fell in love with, but you are having trouble finding it under all those stains? Do you have a stain that you just can’t remove? Well, it is your lucky day because we are going to share some of the most helpful DIY carpet cleaning tips and tricks. Continue reading to learn how you can reclaim your carpet and fall in love all over again.

Coffee and tea stains seem to be a real pain when it comes to getting them out of carpet. But did you know by pouring another beverage on them they literally disappear. Pour a small amount of beer on the stain, rub lightly, and be amazed. If the stain isn’t removed with the first application, you may have to repeat the process to completely remove it.

You can also remove tea and coffee stains with white vinegar and water. Simply mix equal parts of the two liquids and blot the stain.

For stains that include fruit or fruit juice, mix one tablespoon of laundry detergent, a half tablespoons of white vinegar, and two cups of water. Rub the solution into the stain and use a clean cloth to blot it up.

Another option for getting rid of fruit juice stains is shaving cream. Spray the shaving cream on the spot, blot it, use a wet sponge to blot it, squirt more shaving cream, and wipe with a damp sponge. One application should do the trick, but if it doesn’t, repeat the process. Shaving cream is also effective on oil and grease stains. Spray the cream onto the stain, work it into the carpet, allow it to dry, and then rub it off with a clean, damp cloth.

Light carpet stains can get annoying, but with a mixture of one-half cup white vinegar and two tablespoons of salt, you can rub them away. Apply the solution, rub lightly, allow to dry, and vacuum. If you have larger stains or they are darker, add two tablespoons of borax to the vinegar and salt and follow the same process.

Tough stains take a bit more, but not much. If you have ground-in dirt, or other stubborn stains, get rid of them with one tablespoon each of vinegar and cornstarch. Create a paste with the two ingredients, rub it into the area with a clean dry cloth, and allow it to set for two days. After that, vacuum it away.

Spilled paint on carpet may cause tears, but don’t let it. Mix one and one half teaspoons of both laundry detergent and vinegar with two cups of water. Before the paint sets, rub it with a sponge and rinse with cool water.

Ink is another one of those things you really don’t want on your carpet. But with a little milk, you may save lots of tears. Mix milk and cornstarch to make a paste. Apply the solution to the stain and let it dry for a few hours. Brush it off and vacuum. You can also use cornstarch on grease and oil stains as it will soak it up. Sprinkle the product on any spots you see and let it work its magic for several hours before vacuuming. You can also try WD-40 on ink stains. Spray the stain and allow the solution to set for a couple minutes. Continue cleaning with warm, soapy water and a sponge.

What’s the solution for spilled red wine on carpet? Well, more wine of course. Pour white wine on the red while it is still wet. Then, use cold water and a sponge to clean the spot. Sprinkle salt on the area and allow it to set for 10 minutes. After that, vacuum it up.

Mystery stains can be stubborn, but this homemade stain remover can help. Mix one teaspoon of hydrogen peroxide with some cream of tartar to create a paste. Use a soft cloth to rub the paste on the stain and watch it disappear.

As you can see, there are many options for cleaning your carpets when they happen to get stained. Try one of these tricks and watch the mess vanish.